Silica thin films produced by rapid surface catalyzed vapor deposition (RVD) using a nucleation layer

ABSTRACT

An method employing atomic layer deposition (ALD) and rapid vapor deposition (RVD) techniques conformally deposits a dielectric material on small features of a substrate surface. The resulting dielectric film has a low dielectric constant and a high degree of surface smoothness. The method includes the following three principal operations: exposing a substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas to form a saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the substrate surface; exposing the substrate surface to an oxygen-containing gas to oxidize the layer of aluminum-containing precursor; and exposing the substrate surface to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form the dielectric film. Generally an inert gas purge is employed between the introduction of reactant gases to remove byproducts and unused reactants. These operations can be repeated to deposit multiple layers of dielectric material until a desired dielectric thickness is achieved.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to methods for forming thin dielectric films. More specifically, the invention pertains to methods of depositing a conformal film of dielectric material on a semiconductor device with a high degree of surface smoothness.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conformal, uniform dielectric films have many applications in semiconductor manufacturing. In the fabrication of sub-micron integrated circuits (ICs) several layers of dielectric film are deposited. Four such layers are shallow trench isolation (STI), premetal dielectric (PMD), inter-metal dielectric (IMD) and interlayer dielectric (ILD). All four of these layers require silicon dioxide films that fill features of various sizes and have uniform film thicknesses across the wafer.

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has traditionally been the method of choice for depositing conformal silicon dioxide films. However as design rules continue to shrink, the aspect ratios (depth to width) of features increase, and traditional CVD techniques can no longer provide adequately conformal films in these high aspect ratio features.

An alternative to CVD is atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD methods involve self-limiting adsorption of reactant gases and can provide thin, conformal dielectric films within high aspect ratio features. An ALD-based dielectric deposition technique typically involves adsorbing a metal containing precursor onto the substrate surface, then, in a second procedure, introducing a silicon oxide precursor gas. The silicon oxide precursor gas reacts with the adsorbed metal precursor to form a thin film of metal doped silicon oxide. One drawback, however, to ALD is that the deposition rates are very low. Films produced by ALD are also very thin (i.e., about one monolayer); therefore, numerous ALD cycles must be repeated to adequately fill a gap feature. These processes are unacceptably slow in some applications in the manufacturing environment.

A related technique, referred to as rapid vapor deposition (RVD) processing, is another alternative. RVD is similar to ALD in that reactant gases are introduced alternately over the substrate surface, but in RVD the silicon oxide film can grow more thickly. Thus, RVD methods allow for rapid film growth similar to using CVD methods but with the film conformality of ALD methods.

In the previously mentioned dielectric film applications, many of the critical features are filled after just three or four RVD cycles (each depositing approximately 150 Angstroms), so it becomes critically important that the first of these cycles deposit a uniformly thin and smooth film. However, the first cycle is often rough and non-uniform due to poor nucleation on the substrate. For a discussion of this difficulty, see Hausmann, D., Gordon, R (2002), Surface Morphology and Crystallinity Control in the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Hafnium and Zirconium Oxide Thin Films, Journal of Crystal Growth, 249, 251–261, which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. This poor nucleation can translate into as much as 33% variation in film thickness across the wafer and within the features to be filled, and can dramatically increase the surface roughness.

This additional surface roughness can, among other problems, decrease precursor utilization by limiting precursor flux to the bottom of the filled trenches (i.e., a smooth-walled trench will fill up more efficiently than one with rough walls.)

What is therefore needed are improved methods for producing silica films with greatly reduced surface roughness using RVD.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for using ALD and RVD techniques to produce a smooth dielectric film. This method involves three principal operations: 1) exposing the substrate surface with an aluminum-containing precursor to form a substantially saturated surface of aluminum-containing precursor and 2) exposing the substrate surface to an oxygen-containing oxidizer; and 3) exposing the substrate surface to a silicon-containing precursor. In variations of the invention, operations 1) and 2) are repeated a number of times, for example a total of 2–5 times, prior to operation 3). Alternately, up to about ten iterations of operations 1) and 2) may be applied. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, following one or more iterations of operations 1) and 2), generally from 2–5, an aluminum-containing precursor is again formed on the substrate surface prior to operation 3). Alternately, any suitable metal-containing precursor that can sufficiently absorb onto the substrate surface and sufficiently react with the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor to form a dielectric layer that is more than a monolayer thick may be used in place of the aluminum-containing precursor. Other metal-containing precursors that can be deposited to reactivate the catalytic surface include, but are not limited to, zirconium, hafnium, gallium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, and their oxides or nitrides.

Various process precursors may be used in preferred embodiments of the invention. For example, the aluminum-containing precursor can be hexakis(dimethylamino) aluminum or trimethyl aluminum. Flow rates of aluminum-containing precursor gas can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 and 10000 sccm. Preferred flow rates of aluminum-containing precursor gas range between about 1 and 100 sccm.

The oxygen-containing oxidizer can be, for example, H₂O, air, O₃ or H₂O₂. The silicon containing precursor can be a silanol, such as tris(tert-butoxy)silanol ((C₄H₉O)₃SiOH) or tris(tert-pentoxy)silanol((C₅H₁₁O)₃SiOH), or a silanediol, such as di(tert-butoxy)silandiol, for example. Preferred flow rates for the silicon-containing precursor range between about 200 to 1000 sccm.

Between the various operations, inert gas purges may be performed. Any suitable inert gas may be used. A typical purge lasts about 5 seconds. Additionally, there may be a post-deposition treatment to remove water from the deposited film.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the substrate is a partially fabricated semiconductor wafer. Further, the wafer may include shallow trench isolation (STI) features, over which the dielectric film is to be deposited.

Exposure to the aluminum-containing precursor and the silicon-containing precursor may occur in different chambers in preferred embodiments of the invention. Further, additional precursor gases may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating relevant operations in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) and rapid vapor deposition (RVD) process to form a dielectric film in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the basic features of a RVD reactor suitable for practicing the current invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are illustrations comparing the gap fill characteristics of a silica film deposited with and without a nucleation layer in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph of thickness vs. number of cycles for RVD films deposited with or without first applying a nucleation layer in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific embodiments are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or by using alternate elements or processes. In other instances well-known processes, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.

As indicated, the present invention provides methods to greatly reduce or eliminate the surface roughness and thickness uniformity of thin deposited silica films. The methods employ an ALD deposition of a nucleation layer and RVD techniques to deposit a bulk layer on top of the nucleation layer.

Generally, a RVD method involves sequentially depositing a plurality of atomic-scale films on a substrate surface by sequentially exposing and removing reactants to and from the substrate surface. An exemplary case of RVD using reactant gases A and B will now be used to illustrate principle operations of a RVD process in accordance with the present invention. First, gas A is injected into a chamber and the molecules of gas A are chemically or physically adsorbed to the surface of a substrate, thereby forming a “saturated layer” of A. Formation of a saturated layer is self-limiting in nature and represents a thermodynamically distinct state of adsorbed A on a surface. In some cases, a saturated layer is only one monolayer. In other cases, a saturated layer is a fraction of a monolayer, or some multiple of monolayers.

After a saturated layer of A is formed, typically the remaining gas A in the chamber is purged using an inert gas. Thereafter, the gas B is injected so that it comes in contact with the adsorbed layer of A and reacts to form a reaction product of A and B. Because the saturated layer of A is nominally thin and evenly distributed over the substrate surface, excellent film step coverage can be obtained. B is flowed over the substrate for a period of time sufficient to allow the reaction between A and B to preferably go to completion; i.e., all of the adsorbed A is consumed in the reaction. In a RVD process, B is flowed over the substrate for a period of time sufficient for B to accumulate to thicknesses in excess of one monolayer. After a desired film thickness is achieved, the flow of B is stopped and the reaction is halted. At this point, residual gas B and any byproducts of the reaction are purged from the chamber. Further RVD cycles of substrate exposure to A, followed by exposure to B, can be implemented and repeated as needed for multiple layers of material to be deposited.

RVD methods are related to the well-established chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. However, in CVD, the chemical reactant gases are simultaneously introduced in a reaction chamber and allowed to mix and chemically react with each other in gas phase. The products of the mixed gases are then deposited on the substrate surface. Thus, RVD methods differ from CVD since in RVD the chemical reactant gases are individually injected into a reaction chamber and not allowed to mix prior to contacting the substrate surface. That is, RVD is based on separated surface-controlled reactions.

Another deposition technique related to RVD is atomic layer deposition (ALD). RVD and ALD are both surface-controlled reactions involving alternately directing the reactants over a substrate surface. Conventional ALD, however, depends on self-limiting typically monolayer producing reactions for both reactant gases. As an example, if reactants C and D are first and second reactant gases for an ALD process, after C is adsorbed onto the substrate surface to form a saturated layer, D is introduced and reacts only with adsorbed C. In this manner, a very thin and conformal film can be deposited. In RVD, as previously described using exemplary reactants A and B, after A is adsorbed onto the substrate surface, B reacts with adsorbed A and is further able to react to accumulate a self-limiting, but much thicker than one monolayer film. Thus, as stated previously, the RVD process allows for rapid film growth similar to using CVD methods but with the conformality of ALD type methods. In the present invention, this further accumulation of film is accomplished by a catalytic polymerization, which will be discussed in detail further.

The differences between conventional ALD and RVD film formation are principally due to the difference between the thicknesses of the films formed after the completion of each type of process. In the present invention, an ALD process is used to form a nucleation layer for a silica RVD process. More specifically, according to one embodiment of the invention, a conventional ALD process using an oxidant as a co-reactant is used to form a nucleation layer for the silica RVD process. The oxidant is an oxygen-containing oxidant such as water, air, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, or

Typically, the silica RVD process utilizes trimethylaluminum (TMAI) as the process aluminum precursor. By using, for example, water as a co-reactant, aluminum oxide can be grown using conventional ALD techniques (at a growth rate of 1–2 Angstroms/cycle.) Aluminum oxide deposited by this ALD method provides an excellent nucleation layer for a subsequent silica RVD process.

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram illustrating relevant operations in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) and rapid vapor deposition (RVD) process to form a dielectric film in accordance with the present invention.

The deposition process 100 begins with operation 101, wherein a substrate is placed into a deposition chamber. For many embodiments of the invention, the substrate is a semiconductor wafer. A “semiconductor wafer” as discussed in this document is a semiconductor substrate at any of the various states of manufacture/fabrication in the production of integrated circuits. As mentioned previously, one commercially important application of the present invention is in various dielectric gap-fill applications, such as filling of STI or PMD features.

The process continues with operation 103, where an aluminum-containing precursor gas is pumped into the deposition chamber so as to substantially saturate the surface with the aluminum-containing precursor. Any suitable aluminum-containing precursor that can sufficiently adsorb onto the substrate surface and sufficiently react with the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor may be used. In addition, the aluminum-containing precursor should be capable of aiding the catalytic polymerization of the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor to provide a film thicker than a monolayer. In preferred embodiments, for example, hexakis(dimethylamino)aluminum (Al₂(N(CH₃)₆) or trimethylaluminum (Al(CH₃)₃) are used. Other suitable aluminum-containing precursors include, for example, triethylaluminum (Al(CH₂CH₃)₃) or aluminum trichloride (AlCl₃).

Note that any suitable metal containing precursor that can sufficiently adsorb onto the substrate surface and sufficiently react with the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor to form a dielectric layer that is more than a monolayer thick may be used in place of the aluminum-containing precursor. Other metal-containing precursors that can be deposited to reactivate the catalytic surface include, but are not limited to, zirconium, hafnium, gallium, titanium, niobium, tantalum, and their oxides or nitrides.

As indicated earlier, forming a saturated layer is a self-limiting process and to a certain extent independent of process conditions. Relevant process conditions can include pressure, precursor flow rate, substrate temperature, and dose. Pressures can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 mTorr and 760 Torr. Typical pressures range between about 500 and 1250 mTorr and typical temperatures range between about 200 and 300 degrees Celsius. Flow rates of aluminum-containing precursor gas can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 and 10000 sccm. Preferred flow rates of aluminum-containing precursor gas range between about 1 and 100 sccm. The dose of aluminum-containing precursor can range broadly, e.g., between about 0.001 milligrams and 10 grams. Typical aluminum-containing precursor doses range between about 0.01 and 0.02 grams. Exposure times suitable for forming a saturated layer are typically only seconds. In some embodiments, for example, an exposure time of about 2 seconds is found to be sufficient.

Returning to FIG. 1, after a saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor is formed, an inert gas is preferably used to purge the substrate surface and reaction chamber (not shown). It should be noted that introduction of a purge gas can be used in between operations wherein contact between reactant gases should be avoided, including between each ALD and RVD operation. Further, the purge gas can be flowed continuously during any of these operations and a period or periods between the operations. Purge gases are generally inert. Examples include the noble gases (e.g., argon) and nitrogen. The reaction chamber may additionally be evacuated following inert gas purge.

Next, in operation 105, an oxygen-containing oxidant gas such as, for example, H₂O, H₂O₂, air, or ozone (O₃), is introduced into the chamber to oxidize the layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the substrate surface. The substrate surface is exposed to the oxidant for sufficient time and under suitable conditions for oxidation to occur. Suitable temperatures range from about 50 to 350° C.; suitable pressures range from about 0.10 Torr to 100.0 Torr; suitable dose ranges from about 0.01 g to 1.0 g; and suitable time ranges from about 1 sec to 5 sec. For example, exposure to water vapor at room temperature and pressure (about 25° C. and about 24 Torr H₂O partial pressure) for about 1 second is suitable. In this way, a highly conformal aluminum oxide layer is grown on the substrate surface. Aluminum oxide deposited by this ALD method provides an excellent nucleation layer for a subsequent RVD silica process (see operations 109 and 111 below.) Operations 103 and 105 are repeated until a desired thickness of aluminum oxide has been reached. Each cycle typically has a growth rate of 1–2 Angstroms per cycle. In one embodiment of the invention, up to 10 cycles of operations 103 and 105 are performed. In a second, preferred embodiment, 3–5 cycles are performed.

Following the last cycle of aluminum oxide deposition, optional operation 107 is performed, wherein, after the chamber is purged, the substrate is again exposed to an aluminum-containing precursor in order to saturate the surface with the aluminum precursor. This operation may be conducted in the same manner as operation 103.

Next, after the chamber is again purged, the RVD portion of process 100 begins with the exposure of the substrate to a silicon-containing precursor gas under conditions suitable for the growth of a dielectric film in operation 109. Any suitable silicon-containing precursor that can sufficiently adsorb onto and react with the saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor to form a dielectric film may be used. In addition, the silicon-containing precursor should be capable of polymerization when exposed to the adsorbed aluminum-containing precursor to produce a film thicker than a monolayer. Preferred silicon-containing precursors include silanols and silanediols, such as alkoxysilanols, alkyl alkoxysilanols, alkyl alkoxysilanediols and alkoxysilanediols. Examples of suitable precursors include tris(tert-butoxy)silanol ((C₄H₉O)₃SiOH), tris(tert-pentoxy)silanol((C₅H₁₁O)₃SiOH), di(tert-butoxy)silandiol ((C₄H₉O)₂Si(OH)₂) and methyl di(tert-pentoxy)silanol.

While the invention is not limited to this theory of operation, as mentioned previously, it is believed that the accumulation of dielectric film is achieved via a polymerization process. The saturated layer of aluminum precursor (e.g., Al or Al₂O₃) can catalytically polymerize the silicon-containing precursor to produce growing chains of silica. After a period of growth determined by the substrate temperature, the silica polymer can “gel” or “cross-link” to form a solid silicon dioxide. The final film thickness depends on the silicon dioxide layer formation rate and the amount of time the silicon-containing precursor is exposed to the saturated layer of aluminum atoms. The film can also be made thicker by repeating the number of precursor deposition cycles. Studies regarding these finding can be found in the doctoral thesis of Dennis Hausmann, Harvard University, (2002).

Process parameters during exposure to the silicon-containing precursor including temperature, gas pressure, flow rate, dose and exposure times will vary depending on the types of precursor used, reaction chamber configuration and desired final film thickness, deposition rate and dielectric characteristics, among other variables. Temperatures can range from about 200 to 300° C. A typical deposition temperature is about 250° C. Pressures can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 mTorr and 760 Torr. Typical pressures range between about 500 and 2000 mTorr. Flow rates of silicon-containing precursor gas can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 and 10000 sccm. Preferred flow rates of silicon-containing precursor gas range between about 200 and 1000 sccm. The dose of silicon-containing precursor can range broadly, e.g., between about 0.001 milligrams and 100 grams. Typical silicon-containing precursor doses range between about 0.1 and 0.3 grams. Exposure times can range broadly, e.g., between about 1 milliseconds and 100 seconds. Preferred exposure times typically range between about 1 and 10 seconds. The number of separate exposures to silicon-containing precursor will primarily depend upon the desired final film thickness. Typical numbers of silicon-containing precursor exposure cycles for a STI feature 0.1 micron in diameter range between about 4 and 7.

Referring back to FIG. 1, after exposure to a silicon-containing precursor and formation of a dielectric film, if the dielectric film is not yet of desired thickness, subsequent cycles of the RVD process can be repeated until a desired thickness is achieved. See operations 109 and 111 of FIG. 1. For many STI applications, for example, the total film thickness ranges between about 500 and 1000 angstroms.

This is followed by operation 111, wherein the substrate surface is exposed to an aluminum-containing precursor gas. Operations 109 and 111 are repeated until a desired thickness of dielectric material has been built up. Typically, each RVD cycle deposits about 150 Angstroms of material. In one embodiment the process generally concludes with silicon-containing precursor gas exposure.

If the substrate is exposed to a sufficient number of ALD aluminum oxide cycles before a RVD silica deposition, then the first layer of RVD silica will grow uniformly and thus the thickness non-uniformity and roughness due to nucleation for the RVD silica process will be greatly diminished. Typically, ALD aluminum oxide will be fully nucleated in 3–5 cycles so that there will be no more than a few Angstroms of thickness variation across the wafer. Since the RVD silica process typically grows at a comparatively large 150 Angstroms per cycle, this minor variation in the thickness of the ALD film will be relatively imperceptible in the final dielectric film.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Other deposition co-reactants, such as phosphorus, may be used in the ALD operation as well. See for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/874,808 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Additionally, during the silica deposition, silanols with varying substituents (i.e. more than one kind of alkoxy substituent) may be used to improve the film characteristics. For an example, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/874,814, titled “Mixed Alkoxy Precursors and Methods of Their Use for Rapid Vapor Deposition of SiO₂ Films”, which is concurrently filed with the present application. Furthermore, various post-deposition treatments (e.g., thermal annealing or plasma treatments) may be used to improve film characteristics (e.g., densifying the film by removing water as well. For example, see U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/672,309, titled “Properties Of A Silica Thin Film Produced By A Rapid Vapor Deposition [RVD] Process”, filed on Sept. 26, 2003, 10/746,274, titled “Plasma Treatments To Improve The Properties Of Silica Thin Films Produced By A Rapid Vapor Deposition (RVD), filed on Dec. 23, 2003, and 10/874,696, titled “Method For Controlling Properties Of Conformal Silica Nanolaminates Formed By Pulsed Layer Deposition”, which is concurrently filed with the present application. Each of the above applications is incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

RVD APPARATUS

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting some components of a suitable dual source RF/microwave plasma reactor for performing a RVD process in accordance with this invention. Note that this apparatus is only an example of suitable apparatus for RVD processes in accordance with the present invention. Many other apparatuses and systems, including a multi-chambered apparatus, may be used.

As shown, a reactor 201 includes a process chamber 203, which encloses components of the reactor and serves to contain the reactant gases and provide an area to introduce the reactant gases to substrate 209. The chamber walls may be made of or plated with any suitable material, generally a metal that is compatible with the deposition and associated processes conducted therein. In one example, the process chamber walls are made from aluminum. Within the process chamber, a wafer pedestal 207 supports a substrate 209. The pedestal 207 typically includes a chuck 208 to hold the substrate in place during the deposition reaction. The chuck 208 may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck or various other types of chuck as are available for use in the industry and/or research.

A heat transfer subsystem including lines 211 for supplying a heat transfer fluid to the pedestal 207 controls the temperature of pedestal 207. In some embodiments, the heat transfer fluid comprises water or another liquid. The reactant gases, as well as inert gases during purge, are introduced individually into the reactor at tube 225 via inlet 217. A showerhead 227 may be used to distribute the gas flow uniformly in the process reactor. Reactant gases are introduced through a gas supply inlet mechanism including orifices. There may be multiple reactant gas tubes and inlets. A vacuum pump (e.g., a turbomolecular pump) connected to outlet 219 can draw out gases between RVD cycles.

In an alternate embodiment (not shown), there may be multiple deposition chambers, such that different depositions may occur in different chambers.

EXAMPLES

The following examples provide details concerning the implementation of an embodiment of the present invention and beneficial results. It should be understood the following is representative only, and that the invention is not limited by the detail set forth in these examples.

In one example of a preferred embodiment, an Al₂O₃ nucleation layer was deposited over a high aspect ratio feature (i.e., a trench) on a substrate by placing a substrate material (i.e., a silicon wafer), in a reaction chamber and then exposing the substrate to tri-methyl-aluminum for one second. This was followed by a five-second reactor purge, wherein an inert gas was introduced into the reaction chamber. Next, the substrate was exposed to water, an oxidizer, by opening a valve separating a container with water vapor at 24 Torr and 25° C. for one second. The process was repeated for four cycles, followed by a half cycle (just the tri-methyl-aluminum deposition) before the application of a silica layer using an RVD process (alternating aluminum and silanol precursor exposures). The silanol precursor used in the silica application step in this example was tris(tert-pentoxysilanol) at 230° C. for 15 seconds at 1 Torr.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are drawings illustrating the differences between silica films applied without Al₂O₃ nucleation (FIG. 3A) and with four cycles of Al₂O₃ nucleation (FIG. 3B). In FIG. 3 a, film 300 fills a trench 301 that has been formed on a substrate 303. A noticeable seam 307 extends down into the silica-filled trench 301, along with large voids 305 located high in the trench. In FIG. 3B, on the other hand, film 350 has no observable seam and only a very small void 355 located deep in the trench 301. This improvement is believed due to the application of four cycles of Al₂O₃ to provide a nucleation layer for subsequent RVD silica deposition. It is clear that the film shown in 3B is much more uniform than the one shown in FIG. 3A, indicating improved coherence of the silica layer to the Al₂O₃ nucleation layer.

FIG. 4 is a plot of total film thickness versus the number of Al₂O₃ forming cycles prior to RVD silica deposition. Without the nucleation achieved by the oxidizing operation (i.e., the water exposure), the initial film growth is relatively poor, only about 50 Angstroms for the first cycle. After 4 cycles of Al₂O₃ forming precursor exposure, improved nucleation results in much better film growth for the first cycle of RVD silica. A slight additional improvement is shown when a silica film is applied after 8 cycles of Al₂O₃, however this slight additional improvement may be outweighed by the additional process time and steps required, so that in some embodiments, fewer Al precursor/oxidant cycles may be preferred.

Various details of the apparatus have been omitted for clarity's sake and various design alternatives may be implemented.

CONCLUSION

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the process and compositions of the present invention. For example, while the invention has been described primarily in terms of preparing integrated circuits, it is not so limited. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

The entire disclosures of all references cited herein are incorporated by reference for all purposes. 

1. A method of forming a dielectric film, the method comprising: (a) exposing a substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas to form a saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the substrate surface; (b) exposing the substrate surface to an oxygen-containing gas to oxidize the layer of aluminum-containing precursor; (c) exposing the substrate surface to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form a dielectric film thicker than a monolayer; wherein the dielectric film is formed by polymerizing the silicon-containing precursor.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) and (b) are repeated a plurality of cycles prior to (c).
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality is up to
 10. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality is between 2 and
 5. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas to form a second saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the oxidized aluminum-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising purging with an inert gas and repeating exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas and exposing the saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form an additional layer of dielectric film.
 7. The method of claim 2, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas to form a second saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the oxidized aluminum-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas to form a second substantially saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor on the oxidized aluminum-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising purging with an inert gas and repeating exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas and exposing the saturated layer of aluminum-coating precursor to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form an additional layer of dielectric film.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises one selected from the group consisting of H₂O, air, O₃ and H₂O₂ and combinations thereof.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises water.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxygen-containing gas comprises air.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-containing precursor further comprises oxygen.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a partially fabricated semiconductor wafer.
 15. The method in claim 14, wherein the dielectric film is deposited over gaps in the partially fabricated semiconductor wafer.
 16. The method in claim 14, wherein the dielectric film is deposited over a feature selected from the group consisting of shallow trench isolation (STI), inter-metal dielectric (IMD), inter-level dielectric (ILD), and pre-metal dielectric (PMD) features in the partially fabricated semiconductor wafer.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum-containing precursor is at least one of hexakis(dimethylamino) aluminum and trimethyl aluminum.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-containing precursor is at least one of a silanol and a silanediol.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-containing precursor is at least one of tris(tert-butoxy)silanol ((C₄H₉O))₃SiOH) and tris(tert-pentoxy)silanol((C₅H₁₁O)₃SiOH).
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow rate of aluminum-containing precursor gas range between about 1 and 100 sccm.
 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow rate of silicon-containing precursor gas range between about 200 and 1000 sccm.
 22. The method of claim 1, further comprising purging with an inert gas exposures of precursor gas.
 23. The method of claim 1, further comprising purging with an inert gas and repeating exposing the substrate surface to an aluminum-containing precursor gas and exposing the saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form an additional layer of dielectric film.
 24. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the partially fabricated semiconductor device to an aluminum-containing precursor gas and exposing the saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor with a silicon-containing precursor gas occur in the same reaction chamber.
 25. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the partially fabricated semiconductor device to an aluminum-containing precursor gas and exposing the saturated layer of aluminum-containing precursor with a silicon-containing precursor gas occur in different reaction chambers in a multi-chamber apparatus.
 26. The method of claim 1, further comprising exposing the substrate surface to one or more addition precursor gases.
 27. The method of claim 1, further comprising a post-deposition treatment to remove water from the film.
 28. The method of claim 1 wherein the aluminum-containing precursor facilitates the catalytic polymerization of the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor to produce the film thicker than a monolayer.
 29. A method of forming a dielectric film, the method comprising: (a) exposing a substrate surface to an metal-containing precursor gas to form a saturated layer of metal-containing precursor on the substrate surface; (b) exposing the substrate surface to an oxygen-containing gas to oxidize the layer of metal-containing precursor; (c) exposing the substrate surface to a silicon-containing precursor gas to form a dielectric film thicker than a monolayer; wherein the dielectric film is formed by polymerizing the silicon-containing precursor.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein (a) and (b) are repeated a plurality of cycles prior to (c).
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the plurality is up to
 10. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the plurality is between 2 and
 5. 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an metal-containing precursor gas to form a second saturated layer of metal-containing precursor on the oxidized metal-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 34. The method of claim 30, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an metal-containing precursor gas to form a second saturated layer of metal-containing precursor on the oxidized metal-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 35. The method of claim 29, further comprising: (d) prior to (c), exposing the substrate surface to an metal-containing precursor gas to form a second substantially saturated layer of metal-containing precursor on the oxidized metal-containing precursor layer formed in (b).
 36. The method of claim 29, wherein the metal-containing precursor is selected from the list of metal-containing precursors comprising Zirconium, Hafnium, Gallium, Titanium, Niobium, and Tantalum.
 37. The method of claim 29 wherein the aluminum-containing precursor facilitates the catalytic polymerization of the subsequently added silicon-containing precursor to produce the film thicker than a monolayer. 